1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electromagnetic pickup for an electrical musical instrument of the stringed type, and more particularly, to an electromagnetic pickup having consistent tonal qualities.
2 Description of the Prior Art
The present invention relates broadly to electrical musical instruments of the stringed type. It is typically applicable to an electric guitar or bass guitar or similar musical instrument having a plurality of stretched strings extending across the body and the neck, between the head of the instrument and the bridge assembly connected to the body.
In order to derive an output from such an electric guitar, bass guitar or other similar electrical musical instrument, the instrument is conventionally provided with an electromagnetic pickup comprising a number of magnetic elements or pole pieces having wound therearound a conductive coil. Typically, one pole piece is disposed directly beneath each string of the instrument. The strings are constructed of a magnetizable substance such as steel and therefore become part of the conductive path for the magnetic lines of flux of the pole pieces. Accordingly, when any of the strings are caused to vibrate, this causes a disturbance in the magnetic field of the associated pole piece. This has the effect of generating a voltage in the conductive coil, which voltage may be suitably amplified and transmitted to a loudspeaker system.
The coil assembly is typically wrapped around a bobbin made of a nylon, ABS or other plastic material. The pole pieces are positioned within holes in the bobbin unit. The pickup is thus a unitary assembly which is secured to the body of the guitar.
Pickup assemblies of the type described generally provide good tonal quality. Numerous variations, such as the inclusion of a "humbucking" assembly or the use of pole pieces which are offset from the strings, have been provided to further increase the sound quality produced by the pickup. Despite numerous improvements, many assemblies are hampered by inconsistent sound quality. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an electromagnetic pickup assembly having consistent sound quality under variable operating conditions.